The bending of rod-like elements is commonly used in a variety of applications. For example, in association with spinal surgeries, spinal rod implants are often bent to follow the unique curvature of a patient's spine. Existing rod benders generally require the use of two-hands. To prevent undesired movement of the rod during bending, it is often necessary for one individual to stabilize the rod while a second individual moves the rod bender in a desired fashion. In addition to these limitations, surgical rod benders are frequently table-mounted and, consequently, require a surgeon to leave the side of a surgical patient each time an adjustment to the bending angle of a surgical rod is required.
Thus, there is a need in the pertinent art for bending instruments that are configured for safe, efficient, and precise operation by a single user.